Smoke was still rising from the remnants of the Colosseum, curling into the sky in heavy gray trails that mingled with the scent of scorched iron and dried blood, forming an unforgettable scene of ruin.
That arena—once deafening with the roars of crowds, the clash of steel, and the cries of the defeated—was now nothing more than silent ruins. It was as if, after years of devouring countless innocent lives, it had finally exhaled its last breath and surrendered to its inevitable end.
In the heart of the collapsed structure, among broken stone and shattered memories, Leo stood in silence.
And when his gaze fell upon the girl, he noticed something unusual.
Her mana… was green.
A rare and distinctive color—one that belonged to the Elves.
Leo was able to perceive the nature of mana in all living beings. He had gained this ability when he reached the Eleventh Circle, achieving an extraordinary level of harmony with mana itself. Even after his reincarnation, this perception had remained with him, as though it had become an inseparable part of his existence.
Mana differed greatly between species.
Elven and fairy mana glowed green, like life itself condensed into energy.
Dwarven mana shimmered in orange, dense and warm, like molten stone hidden beneath mountains.
Dragons, however, varied according to their lineage:
red dragons bore crimson fire-aspected mana, while blue dragons of water bore deep azure currents of energy.
Demons possessed mana of pitch blackness, dense and bottomless, like an abyss without end.
Humans, however, were different.
Their mana was colorless—transparent.
And yet, that very absence of color was their strength.
Humans could adapt to all four basic elements—fire, water, wind, and earth—even if most of them specialized in only one. This adaptability made humanity one of the most dangerous races in warfare. They could distribute magic across different roles, forming complex battle strategies, where even elemental synergies—such as fire combined with wind—could amplify destructive power dramatically.
Standing before the girl, Leo fell into thought.
Should he take her with him to the Elven Forest… or leave her behind?
At that moment, his eyes met hers.
And he saw it.
An abyss.
Empty. Bottomless. As if everything within her had already been erased.
For a brief moment, he wondered how much suffering she had endured… how many horrors had shattered her world to reduce her to this hollow existence.
And then… something strange stirred within him.
A feeling that did not fully belong to him.
Leo realized it then.
These emotions… were not entirely his.
They belonged to the original owner of this body—the former Leo.
Was it sympathy?
Or resonance between two souls who had endured similar pain at a young age?
Or something else entirely?
He did not know.
But he did not need to.
Slowly, he extended his hand toward her.
In a quiet voice, he asked:
"Do you want to come with me?"
For a moment, something flickered within the girl.
A faint spark—fragile, yet real.
She had grown used to oppression, humiliation, and pain for so long that she had forgotten what it meant to be offered something without chains attached.
In most cases, she would have doubted it.
Feared it.
Rejected it.
But for some reason… she felt different this time.
His presence felt warm.
Like a gentle sun breaking through a cold, endless night.
A strange aura of purity and calm surrounded him, convincing her—against all logic—that he meant no harm.
And for the first time in what felt like forever… she chose to believe.
Trembling, she reached for his hand, tears silently falling from her eyes, and whispered:
"Yes…"
And so, amid the ruins of the past and the ashes of suffering, a new path was born.
After preparing themselves with whatever clothes and supplies they could gather, the two set out toward their next destination.
The city of Nektar.
A place known not for mercy or hope, but for its dark trade routes, its drug markets, and its networks of crime that corroded its very foundation.
A city no less dangerous than the ruins they had left behind…
Perhaps even worse.
And now, their journey truly begins.
Will their path be one of survival and passage…
Or will the shadows of this world reveal that what awaits them ahead is far crueler than anything they have left behind?
To be continued…